A Movie and a Few Monsters -Private-

Taylor smiled as she looked around. Well, hello outside world, she thought happily. She was slightly surprised when Zach let go of her hand. She didn't really notice at first that he was holding it and only did when he finally let go. Taylor turned slightly pink but chose not to comment. She glanced around her, seeming to absorb her environment.

It was then that she noticed a few guys eyeing Zach from distance. She turned to Zach, who had his eyes on the ground. What, was this connected to the gang thing before? "You know those guys?" she asked him with her eyebrows raised.

Taylor couldn't help but glance back at the boys, but it was only a short glance. Gang wars, huh? It seemed worse than she thought. The boys looked strong, and even she got unsure whether she can hold her own against all of them at once. That was only because her sword was useless when it came to mortals, and that there didn't seem to be a source of ice or water nearby.

"Are you sure they don't recognize you?" Taylor said urgently. "They're still kinda looking at us."

Taylor had never witnessed a gang war before, and she didn't plan to. So that was why she was running top speed alongside Zach. Dodging around people, baby strollers and dogs, Taylor felt her heartbeat and breathing quicken at this untimely exercise. She noticed that Zach was heading towards the Central Park, which was filled with plants where Zach could do his Demeter kid thing. Relieved that Zach somewhat had a plan, Taylor sprinted even faster, occasionally throwing glances behind her. The boys were gaining on them.

Once they reached the park, Taylor pulled out her ring. The ring immediately took shape of her trusty celestial bronze sword, which she now held defensively in front of her. Taylor knew that it would be useless against the mortals, but she was holding on to the hope that they would at least back down from seeing whatever the Mist made them see. Taylor hoped that it would still look like she was holding a weapon.

"By the gods," Taylor muttered to herself as she realized just how many the boys were. Could she and Zach take them on? She sincerely hoped so.

-I changed his picture. Now I have to edit his thing tomorrow *eyetwitch* xD I can never find a perfect picture of him though! Maybe I should leave him picture less xD-

So, her trusty sword Snowflake looked like a bat to the mortals? Taylor couldn't help but feel slightly offended. Oh come on, Mist, give me something to work with! she thought angrily. She was hoping for a shotgun or a rifle, but heck, she had to work with what she had. She knew that her 'bat' wouldn't do anything to the boys even if she hit them with it, so she needed to make do with her surroundings. And then she saw the water.

With anger starting to cloud her thoughts, Taylor knew she had to work fast, especially with the boys pulverizing Zach. Taylor didn't care about the mortals or what they would see--all she cared about was getting those boys away from her friend. With the temperature around them dropping dangerously, Taylor clenched her hand as she concentrated. She felt some of the water behind them freeze into ice. She inhaled sharply, and the more ice came, forming some kind of small mound on the water. Little sharp icicles began to form on the wall, and with a swift forward motion with her hand, the icicles sliced through the air and went at the boys.

Taylor was not aiming to kill--just to hurt them a lot.

The sharp blade-like icicles lodged themselves on various parts of the boys' bodies. Their arms, legs, sides... Taylor was trying to be careful not to drive her frozen weapons to vital organs, but with her energy level dwindling, she was not sure where she hit them anymore. Taylor sucked in a deep breath when she was done, and the mound of ice fell back into the water. She wasn't that tired, but that little feat cost her a bit of her energy. She began to notice that people were giving them their full attention now. What could they have seen?

Taylor rushed to Zach was, her sword in her hand. "Dammit, you okay?" she said quickly, checking if any of her icicles found their way into Zach.

Taylor sighed in relief. "Thank the gods," she breathed, before letting go of her sword and enclosing Zach in a tight bear hug. She pulled away quickly. "Seriously, in camp we get in trouble. We get out, still there's trouble. I wonder what it's like to have a quiet life," Taylor said through gritted teeth.

She barely registered a cop walking up closer to them. Taylor bit her lip. What had they seen? Casually she stood up, dusting off her outfit. "Any problem, officer?" she said coolly, as if nothing happened.

"Can you please explain what the hell happened in here?" the cop demanded, gesturing to the small pieces of ice littered around the field. Taylor tried to look innocent, but she was terribly failing. After all, she had no idea what they had seen. She glanced at Zach, who had some blood trickling from his lip.

"My friend was being... assaulted by a gang," she stated, trying to figure out a way to wheedle out of this one. She glanced at Zach again, pleading for help.

"You can manipulate the Mist?" Taylor asked, surprised when they were a good distance away from the park. "That's so awesome! You gotta teach me how," she added enthusiastically, grinning widely.

She looked around, noticing that the people went back to their business like it was a normal day. Taylor scanned the area. "So, movies now? Hopefully there won't be much trouble," she said as her eyes searched for the nearest movie theater. Spotting one, Taylor quickened her pace and pulled Zach to its direction. "Well?" she said, smiling, as she turned to face him.

"I think your hair looks great," Taylor commented, fixing Zach's bangs for him. Taylor chuckled as Zach opened the door for her. "Quite the gentleman, Tarzan. And I don't know, you pick. I don't even remember who these people are," Taylor said, looking at the movie posters. It was rare for her to watch any TV or movies, unlike the other girls from her previous school. The ones she only knew were the really famous ones--like Twilight, for instance. And that one really didn't click with her. "By the way, I will pay you back for this," Taylor said, grinning.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Fine fine. No candy for me, but if we get popcorn, I swear I'm going to pay you for that," she said triumphantly, jerking her head to the direction of the popcorn stand. No way was she going to let Zach paying for everything. Taylor stuffed her hand in her pocket, jingling the drachmas in it. However, Taylor had no idea how much a dollar is worth in drachmas. So she shrugged that fact aside--she would cross the bridge when she got there.

"So, Darkest Hour... Looks fun," Taylor said, grinning, as she studied the movie poster. It looked awesome, and she could only hoped that the movie was just as awesome. She looked at Zach as she unconsciously ran a hand through her hair--which she realized was still slightly damp from the incident before. Then a random thought occurred to her. Was Zach still cold? She bit her lip, remembering that the cinema was cold inside. But she really didn't want to bring the issue up again. Should she just let it slide? Maybe hint at it or something? But Taylor had no idea on how to do it.

"It seems like ages since that disaster in the lake," she commented offhandedly.

Taylor smiled back. "Thanks," she said, noticing how Zach turned slightly red. "But I'm still paying you back." Laughing, Taylor resumed looking at the poster while Zach did the buying. Please, Mom, no monsters or anything, she prayed silently as she closed her eyes.

"Hey there," a deep masculine voice uttered behind Taylor. She turned around at the unfamiliar voice, and saw a boy smiling at her. She smiled back automatically, just as she usually did.

"Hi, do you need something?" Taylor asked, studying the boy. He was taller than she was by about four inches, with sandy hair and jade green eyes. His hair was short and spiked at the back. He dressed simply, only wearing a striped shirt and a pair of jeans. Well, overall he looked nice.

"No, not really," the boy answered, ruffling his hair. "I'm just wondering what a beautiful girl like you is doing here alone." His smile widened. "The name's Hal."

Taylor chuckled. "Well thanks for the compliment, Hal. But as a matter of fact, I'm not alone," Taylor said, not bothering to introduce herself. She half-glanced at Zach, who was nearly finished buying the popcorn.

Hal's smile faded when he saw Zach, but nonetheless he kept his cool. "I see," he said, pursing his lips. "So, what's your name?"

Taylor looked at Zach, before turning to Hal. "Taylor," she said simply.

"Such a nice name for a pretty lady," Hal said with a wink. Taylor's lips were now in a tight line. She was beginning to get annoyed by this guy. Then Hal leaned casually on the wall, blocking Zach from Taylor's view. "So, where you from?"

"Here and there," Taylor answered airily, wondering how long it would be before Zach got back.

"Yes, yes he is," Taylor said immediately as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover up Zach's last word. She didn't know if she meant it or not, but really, she could see that Zach was getting mad at this guy, and she was a bit irritated too. Taylor could also see that Hal wasn't going to leave if the answer was 'no.' Hal raised his eyebrows at their answers, maybe a little confused at the two of them.

"Yeah, okay," Hal said coolly, raising both his arms in surrender. He turned to leave, but not without a smirk at Taylor. "If he ever breaks your heart, I'm right here--Hal Davies. Add me on facebook."

Taylor rolled her eyes. When the boy was out of earshot, Taylor turned to Zach, slightly pink from what she said. "Yeah, about that... yes and no?" she asked for an explanation, raising both her eyebrows. Taylor was half-smiling.

Taylor almost laughed at Zach's explanation. Take her away from him? Well if Hal really tried, she would've rejected him anyway. Taylor smiled widely. That was probably the sweetest thing she had heard, and it looked like Zach was serious. Taylor took a huge breath. "Okay, let's get this straight. Are we officially dating or not?" she asked, smiling.